The
commander of U.S. Army Africa is among a dozen soldiers who have been
placed in isolation at a U.S. military base in Italy after wrapping up a
mission to Liberia, the Pentagon said Monday.
The soldiers were isolated at the base in Vicenza over the weekend as a precaution although none have shown any symptoms of exposure to the virus that has killed thousands in West Africa, Army Col. Steven Warren said.
Warren said the soldiers, who were part of Operation United Assistance in West Africa, were being kept at a separate unit at the base for 21 days, the incubation period for Ebola. Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams, commander of U.S. Army Africa, is among those being isolated.
Their isolation is not required by Pentagon guidelines, Warren said.
The operation in West Africa is providing logistics, training and engineering support to the U.S. humanitarian program fighting the Ebola outbreak in the region. On Sunday, Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky replaced Williams as commander of Operation United Assistance.
More than 700 U.S. servicemembers are now deployed to West Africa, including almost 600 in Liberia and 100 in Senegal. Over the coming weeks, that could grow to upwards of 3,900 personnel, Pentagon press secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
A 25-bed hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, should be fully operational next week once the construction of the supporting facilities is complete, Kirby said. The hospital will be staffed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services personnel. In addition, the construction of the first Ebola Treatment Unit at Tubmanburg, Liberia, is nearing final completion and two more will be ready soon, Kirby said..
The death toll from the Ebola epidemic rose to more than 10,000 known cases through Oct. 23, the World Health Organization said Saturday. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone account for all but a handful of the deaths.
The soldiers were isolated at the base in Vicenza over the weekend as a precaution although none have shown any symptoms of exposure to the virus that has killed thousands in West Africa, Army Col. Steven Warren said.
Warren said the soldiers, who were part of Operation United Assistance in West Africa, were being kept at a separate unit at the base for 21 days, the incubation period for Ebola. Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams, commander of U.S. Army Africa, is among those being isolated.
Their isolation is not required by Pentagon guidelines, Warren said.
The operation in West Africa is providing logistics, training and engineering support to the U.S. humanitarian program fighting the Ebola outbreak in the region. On Sunday, Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky replaced Williams as commander of Operation United Assistance.
More than 700 U.S. servicemembers are now deployed to West Africa, including almost 600 in Liberia and 100 in Senegal. Over the coming weeks, that could grow to upwards of 3,900 personnel, Pentagon press secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
A 25-bed hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, should be fully operational next week once the construction of the supporting facilities is complete, Kirby said. The hospital will be staffed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services personnel. In addition, the construction of the first Ebola Treatment Unit at Tubmanburg, Liberia, is nearing final completion and two more will be ready soon, Kirby said..
The death toll from the Ebola epidemic rose to more than 10,000 known cases through Oct. 23, the World Health Organization said Saturday. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone account for all but a handful of the deaths.
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